Ordered take out 1. Xiao long bao: taste is good but would be better if eaten right away since they stuck together in the take out container 2. Beef roll: good flavor; needs more cilantro. Recommend baking it if cold to get more of a cripsy texture 3. Lamb noodle soup with knife cut noodles: nice savory lamb broth. The noodle is nice and chewy. The meat is so-so. The 2nd time I got this, the broth was somewhat flavorless... 4. Spicy beef noodle soup with large noodles: not very spicy. Maybe need to try another one of their other beef soups. read more

My server was GREAT - friendly and personable. It's a small restaurant, but wasn't packed or crowded. WHAT I ORDERED 1. Spicy beef noodle soup with knife cut noodles (8.5/10). Flavorful broth, beef was tender, noodles were perfectly chewy. If you don't like chewy noodles, probably opt for the thinner noodles only complaint with this is that there's barely any beef. You end up with a ton of just noodles. 2. Xiao Long Bao - pork (8.9/10 Wrapper was also perfectly chewy, flavorful inside, and good amount of meat. Perfect with julienne ginger and vinegar. read more

Northern Cafe - Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and Juicy Pork Dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

Excellent house special beef noodle soup. Price is fair and portions are generous. Clean modern atmosphere. Food came out on time and served by friendly staff read more

My family and I had not been here in a while. We were happy to see some improvements. They expanded the menu and their fish fillet dish was delicious! It comes spicy but we asked for little to no spicy and it still came out super delicious. I ordered the regular beef noodle soup which was natural broth and noodles. I wasnt too keen on their braised beef bone noodle soup cause it had bit of a gamey after smell to it that made me a little nauseous. But I do like their other beef noodle soups. They changed their chili oil wontons. Each wonton meat portion is bigger but that means the skin is thicker. I actually wouldve preferred if they kept it the same small size but add in 2-3 more pieces per order to retain the quality that they had before. I feel like the size and quality they had before was even better than din tai fung. The taste of the meat and the sauce is still good but Im personally not a fan of dumplings or wontons that have a thick outer skin to it, It makes it taste more flour-y which I dont really like. I want to come back and try more items on the menu to see if there are any more improvements. read more

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First time eating here and was not satisfied. Ordered the Japanese Tonkotsu Ramen but was not impressed. Food had no flavor and had to add too much to make the food palatable and was still hard to enjoy it. The Vegetable Fried Rice, Dumplings and Garlic String Beans were much better and had a lot more flavor. Attempted to get refund with wife's ramen which she hardly ate and instead of removing from the bill, hostess insisted that we instead exchange for something else, forcing us to take something home we did not want. Most definitely will not be trying again. read more

The food is amazing. If you like din tai fung, this is def a place you'd enjoy eating at. They serve good portions. Me and my friends tried this restaurant and went back the next day to eat it again because it was that good! read more

Northern Cafe - Shrimp Fried Rice , Dan Dan Noodles , & Pork Wonton with Chili Oil - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

Ordered dan dan noodles for my lunch and they were cold. I don't have a microwave and planned to eat in my car. Waste of money, had to throw away. Never have I ever had cold dan dan noodles. Very disappointing read more

It's so good to see hand pulled noodles. Food is flavorful, spicy beef noodles with fried egg on top is the way to go in this cold weather. Hearty comfort food. I can check this off my list of Taiwanese food places to try. Highly recommended. Low key, good service and yummy food. Place is pretty good noise level. When all you hear is slurpin'. You know it's good food! read more

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I ordered the spicy pork dumplings for takeout and I was so disappointed they were very dry. In the past I've ordered them for dine in and they were more juicy and delicious. Not to sure why there was a difference. But dine in they were great I'd recommend read more

Some hits and few just ok. Good food without the long wait if you want dumplings. In short get the chicken dumpling and Dan Dan noodles Chicken dumplings boiled: really good, tasted fresh. A lot of filling and good filling to skin ratio. Order this. Pork dumplings: ok, not my favorite. Had some peanut flavor to it. Lamb skewers (3 pieces): flavor was there but it was a little tough and dry. Definitely not the best cumin lamb I've tried. Too much spices on top but it could have tasted better if the meat was more succulent. Dan Dan noodles: REALLY GOOD. Great flavor with a perfect spicy kick. Get this! Bol Choy:liked the baby bok choy with garlic Also get the bottled grapefruit drink. It was sweet and hit the spot. Service and ambience: nice and clean. Service was fine. They did check on us but at times it took a while to flag someone down to order. They were a little busy though. Easy to get seated and probably one of the lesser busy places in plaza. Parking: there is a lot of traffic in the plaza but you'll find parking with some patience. COVID precaution: everyone wearing masks and the seats were spaced out slightly. read more

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Authentic Chinese food. Everything is delicious here. The staff is friendly and helpful read more

We were driving through LA and wanted some Chinese food so we decided to try Northern Cafe. I can't tell if this is a chain/franchise because I did notice several other Northern Cafe's nearby but they seem slightly different. If it is a franchise, it's definitely better quality than usual franchises. We got seated right away but it was the later afternoon on a Monday. The menu is pretty extensive so it was fun to pick a few different options. The waitress was attentive and very friendly. For two, we decided to try xiao long bao (juicy pork dumplings on the menu), one Chinese pork sandwich, oil spill noodle with pork, and Chinese cucumber salad. The Chinese pork sandwich was a bit dry and not very flavorful on its own so we added a bit of vinegar and chili oil. The cucumbers could've been a bit fresher as they seemed like they were about to go bad and the salad could've used more salt/spice. The xiao long bao was tasty and although I the oil spill noodle with pork was flavorful, I'd probably go with another noodle dish in the future. read more

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Northern Cafe is a chain known for their hand pulled beef noodle soup. I've been to 2 other locations and thought they were good, but I was definitely not impressed with this location in Gardena and wouldn't visit again despite its proximity. We got the spicy beef noodle soup with regular noodles and house special beef noodle soup with knife cut noodles. I was disappointed as soon as I took the first sip of the broth. Good beef noodle soup needs broth that's deep, flavorful, spiced-up, and beefy - not broth that is obviously watered down. The noodles were good and plenty, but not enough for a redemption. I'm glad that there's an abundance of superior beef noodle soups in SGV, because that's where I'll be going. But I hope this Northern Cafe in Gardena steps up its broth-game cause I'd prefer to come here than to sit 1 hour in traffic. read more

Northern Cafe - Spicy Beef Noodle Soup - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

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[Review #600] 2021 Yelp 100 Challenge (14/100) In my search for a dedicated noodle shop, I discovered a Northern Cafe in Gardena. I'm not sure if this location is part of the franchise as the menu is slightly different from the Westwood location; I missed their Cold Noodles with Shredded Chicken [雞絲涼麵] & it isn't on the Gardena shop's menu. However, Gardena has hand pulled noodles (手工拉麵). =) I was planning to have lunch with a friend, & ended up ordering for delivery because she needed to feed her hard-working hubby. We ordered: HOUSE SPECIAL BEEF NOODLE SOUP (MEAT) with SAUERKRAUT [清湯牛肉麵(全肉)可加酸菜], SPICY BEEF NOODLE SOUP [紅湯牛肉麵], PAN-FRIED CHIVE, PORK, SHRIMP DUMPLINGS [三鮮煎餃子], & SCALLION PANCAKE [蔥油餅]. The order came on time but the expediter missed the condiments/sauces that my friend added, which is disappointing because they have really good dipping sauces & chili oil. I've been noticing a fairly common occurrence with takeout/delivery orders where the order is incorrect or something is missing. For deliveries, you can't technically fault the driver because their role is to pick-up & delivery your order. Would they check the receipt & inquire with the restaurant that everything is properly packed up? I don't know if they perform this kind of due diligence. I liked my House Beef Noodle Soup; the added sauerkraut (also source of veggies) provided some texture & acidity. There was a decent serving of tender beef, & a very generous portion of noodles. It was quite satisfying! This is one of the few times I had a noodle soup as intended without any condiments, partly because NC forgot to provide it; I like my noodles with a l'il chili kick. My friend lives about 1-mi. from the restaurant so the noodles' texture still has good mouth feel (口感)/Q (好爽口). If you're not dining onsite, anything outside a mile range/6-min. drive, the noodles become questionable in quality & taste. My g/f's Spicy Beef Noodle Soup also had a generous serving of noodles & she had more protein. She was rather disappointed on the missing condiments because she wanted to add more chili oil to her already spicy bowl. Her hubby finished his dumplings so fast that I wonder if he was still hungry. We shared the Scallion Pancake, & I'm used to thicker pancakes; however, this version is more crisp & fragrant (probably due to the hefty sprinkling of scallions), & less oily. My kiddos would love it! But I'm not sure it would maintain its crispy texture since I live further away. Service... hmmm... we got the main components of the order in a timely manner but they missed the details (added sauces). I like the diversity of their menu, & definitely planning to try other menu items, just not the noodle soups until I'm able to dine in again. Recommended: House Special Beef Noodle Soup (Meat) w/Sauerkraut; Spicy Beef Noodle Soup; Scallion Pancake; Pan-Fried Chive, Pork, Shrimp Dumplings (I'll assume this is good since my friend's hubby finished his entree without complaint). read more

Northern Cafe - A2. HS Beef Noodle Soup (Meat) w/Sauerkraut, C3. Pan-Fried Chive, Pork, Shrimp Dumplings, A3. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, C12. Scallion Pancake - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

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Definitely recommend this place, the service was great. Food was delicious, we had the pepper beef, fried rice, dumplings and egg rolls everything was tasty, perfectly seasoned and came out piping hot. Will definitely be going back! read more

Yummy Knife Cut Noodles. 1. Beef Soup 2. Side Dishes Definitely know the portions are big and the food is not that bad on a cold day. read more

Northern Cafe - Beef Noodle - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

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Noodle with sliced pork. Sliced nooodle Next time try the spicy beef noodle soup with sliced meat and the one with tomato. read more

My wife and I decided to given this local branch a shot after numerous positive experiences with their Westwood location and it did not disappoint! Of note, this branch offers multiple noodle options and our spicy beef noodle soup with knife cut noodles was seriously legit - delightful chew from the thick, unevenly cut noods, loads of spicy flavor, and fatty thin cuts of beef (a nice change of pace from the usual brisket cubes that are often dried out). The best noodles I've had in years since Xi'an Famous Foods in NYC. For some dumps, we opted for the beef variant and the bold seasoning in these were pretty remarkable. Just as derricious as the lamb if not slightly better. The skins were thick though pleasantly so with a nice chew. Finally, definitely try the steamed chicken with chili oil. We loved the ample portions of tender dark meat and the oil gave it a moderate kick. Looking forward to trying more noodle types and other dishes in the near future, 4.5 rounded up! read more

This used to our family's goto place for hand pulled noodles but sadly, on a recent visit, it appeared that things have changed for the worse. The beef noodle soup didn't have a noodle option (thin, thick, handcut) and appeared to default to an overcooked thin noodle without any chewiness or bounce you'd get from a hand pulled noodle. We also ordered a sauerkraut hot pot and it was just filled to the brim with ultra processed frozen meatballs and fishballs. One of the fishballs was shaped like a dog's paw.. I'm not sure where the desire to put that into the hot pot came from but it was unappetizing to look at, let alone eat. The soup did not have enough of a sauerkraut flavor and was extremely salty. It also appeared that they were short staffed.. Two people to sit people down, take orders, deliver food, and bus the tables in a fully packed restaurant. On the flip side it appears they have dressed up the place a bit, but you can no longer see the chefs in the back making the noodles like before--perhaps there is new management. The only food item we ordered that remained consistent was the beef roll and Chinese "hamburger" else everything else was a letdown. read more

Northern Cafe - The remains of my sad sauerkraut hot pot with unappetizing dog paw shaped fishcake. - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

Great hometown food: excellent noodle especially wide ones, steam pork bun and dumpling also don't disappoint me. I like the food here very much, will definitely return if get a chance to try other ones. The casher/server was very attentive. This visit deserves a 5 star rating! The parking could be really a challenge in busy hour, glad I chose to come early! read more

This place has got chewy noodles, great soup flavor, decent service and affordability, large portions and easy parking! I'd recommend this spot if you're craving some comfort Chinese food. What we ordered: - Stir-fried sliced noodle (home style): 8/10 chewy noodles & it wasn't too salty - Beef roll: 7/10 a little dry and can be packed with more meat and cilantro, but the outside has a great crisp - Hot & spicy prime beef noodle soup (w/ wide noodles): 8/10 good mala soup flavor but the beef was a little too fatty for my liking read more

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味道很地道！很喜欢，每次经过都会进来吃纯手工面和小笼包！棒棒滴！服务也很不错！周末要提前一点过来，要不然要等！ 味道很地道！很喜欢，每次经过都会进来吃纯手工面和小笼包！棒棒滴！服务也很不错！周末要提前一点过来，要不然要等！ read more

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The best beef noodle soup in the southbay! Noodles are hand-made and have the perfect chewiness. The beef is tender and succulent and the broth tastes delicious. They also have scallion pancakes that are light and crispy, very tasty fried rice. The lamb skewers have too much seasoning on it though. read more

First impression is everything. This was my first time trying this location (I normally go to the location in San Pedro/RPV) and I was not impressed the taste and presentation was definitely different. I had a large order as we were having family over. I ordered (multiples) of the following: shrimp fried rice, house chow mein, hot & spicy chicken, kung pao chicken, orange chicken, pot stickers, and dumplings. Everything was okay except for the shrimp friend rice and their spicy chicken. The rice was very dry, hard, and the shrimp had a bad taste (tasted old). The spicy chicken same thing was very dry, hard, and did not taste fresh. Now I know I will definitely not be ordering from this location again so sad cause it's closer to home. read more

How upsetting that I ordered Uber eats and they didn't put any sauce with my takeout order? I ordered xiao long bao and scallion pancakes and it's so frustrating to pay and order and they lack customer service to anticipate guests' needs. Really upset and frustrated. Tried calling, apparently no one knows how to answer the phone. I'd give a 0 if I could. read more

I ordered the Garlic Cucumbers and Spicy Wontons for appetizers and the Sour Pork Soup with extra added sour veggies. The cucumbers were so delicious that I finished them before remembering to take a photo, they had a TON of garlic which I love and was pickled to perfection-not too sour with sweetness to it. The Spicy Wontons were also super bomb, it more so has chili oil on it which isn't actually too spicy, very mild on the spice level. The Sour Pork Soup was good, the soup had the same sour taste as the pickled veggies (so if you're not into sour taste I would recommend choosing another noodle dish since there wasn't much depth to this soup base), but I personally thought it could have come with more meat. It was majority noodles so next time I'd definitely ask for extra protein (which would obviously come with an additional cost). The noodles were chewy and had that QQ factor which is key for hand pulled noodles. I think the only con about this place is their parking lot situation. It gets SUPER crowded during the dinner rush so you literally have to circle around or stake out a spot read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

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The place is new and nice, I found about it because of whole food, is a cross the street. The flavor is delicious nothing to heavy did I mention that the portions are huge perfect for sharing. read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

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Food was delicious I got the juicy pork dumplings and the chicken fried rice. Both were very yummy and freshly made. I also got the Thai Tea, I usually don't like Thai tea but this one was really good! When you first come in, they are very welcoming and kind. The place is also very clean and great service! read more

Northern Cafe - Juicy Pork Dumplings and Thai tea - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

Tozai plaza is now filled with so many restaurants that have become very popular among the locals that it took me a while to finally try Northern Cafe. I came here on a weeknight with a group of 5 people which was perfect since we got to try like 6-7 dishes. I really don't remember all of the names of the dishes since I did not place the order, but I would say the portion sizes were similar to Din Tai Fung. // FOOD // Pan fried dumplings (pork): Pork dumplings served in a chili oil sauce. Really good! I would recommend ordering this since the flavor was delicious and the dumplings were meaty and perfect! 4/5 House special beef noodle soup: Good, but not my most favorite beef noodle soup that I've had. I really enjoy the beef noodle soup at a couple other places that I've been to. I would rank this number 4 on my list of top beef noodle soups. The beef was tender, but the broth wasn't as flavorful as some places. 3/5 Juicy pork dumpling: These were pretty good. Not as juicy as I would have liked, but they were flavorful! 3/5 Cucumber with garlic: Very simple, yet delicious and goes well with the other items on the menu. 3.5/5 Overall, I though the dishes were flavorful and pretty good! I've been thinking of ordering again since I've been crabbing some beef noodle soup which is actually difficult to find in the South Bay. read more

Honestly the Sauerkraut was not my personal taste but I ordered it thinking it would be spicy since the picture on the menu looked vibrant red. When I asked the employee out of confusion, she told me to put chili oil in it lol.. Also the beef in the photo was thick cut but the beef we got was thin cut shreds. I added the menu photo for comparison. Prices weren't all too bad. read more

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Honestly I wasn't impressed. Hand made noodles is a cool concept, but I didn't like how thick they were. It was definitely chewy! We ordered the pork chow mien -- very little pork given and the size of the pieces were soooooo minuscule and cut up. Dumplings in chili oil were underwhelming IMO and the flavor. Nothing beats din tai fung! Lastly ordered the beef soup -- 4 pieces of beef and just mostly noodle. Broth was flavorful.. but the ratio was just off. They refilled our waters often which was good service and the environment was relaxed. read more

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The service in this restaurant is absolutely disastrous. By waiters not cleaning the tables to being unreasonable that they let a party of 2 moves to a huge table that can fit a party of six and let us cramp at a very small table even when there are 2 open tables that can fit a party of 4. I ask them to clean the table so we can go to the big tables that are for party of 6. They refused because they didn't want to clean the tables. Afterwards, they immediately clean it and let another party of 2 sit at a table for party of 6. These waiters are LAZY!!!!!! NEVER going back again!!!!!!!! read more

This place is excellent! Some of my faves are the dan dan noodles, cucumber, beef roll and spicy wonton. Everything is made so fresh and tasty! We dine here often and the food is consistently good every time. Service is great as well. Parking is a bit hard when it's prime dining time, but don't let that discourage you! read more

This is my go to place when I'm in the mood for some comfort food! Instantly when you walk in you can see the chefs handcrafting these spectacular noodles and then the smell hits you... you're in the right place! Their pan fried chicken dumplings are so freaking good! Add some of that special sauce and chili oil, it's just chefs kiss Don't get me started on their shrimp fried rice! It is the best fried rice I've ever had. I had the spicy beef noodle soup BEWARE it's HUGE! But extremely delicious! The portions here are for 2 or more people but one person can definitely finish. The service here is friendly and very quick. They come by often to see how the table is doing and bring you anything you need quickly. If you go in the night or on the weekends that plaza gets very very busy especially this place so plan ahead! Definitely recommend 10/10 read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

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The food here is so yummy, the staff is also very sweet! It's a small restaurant and Id love to take out but the food coming out fresh was so good! The soup was my favorite!! It was quite busy when we were there and everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. read more

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Greeted friendly and promptly as we entered door. Atmosphere 10/10 you can see the kitchen behind glass windows and watch them make noodles from scratch. Brick walls also add nice look to atmosphere and the 4th wall is floor to roof glass that was nice to look out and gave natural light. Bathrooms are clean as well employees are still wearing mask too. Food was Chinese Super delicious we had Pork dumplings 10/10 Vegetarian Oil spill soup with flat noodles. Sure filling but comes with a spicy that can be added to the side. 10/10 Scallion pancakes 10/10 Would definitely recommend for tasty Chinese food, pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

Northern Cafe - Chinese Near Me - Gardena, California

Food is great. Been going for quite awhile maybe once a month. Tonight I walked in at 8:20. Place closes at 9:00, but the new girl said no dining in after 8:15. Seems odd when that gives me 40 minutes. I'm fine with that but she said it very dismissively and rude. I said that I'd been coming for years at this time. She again said it was a new schedule. Again, I'm ok with it, but she was very dismissive to a regular customer. I will not be returning. Hope the manager contacts me, but I doubt it. read more

If you're looking for legit hand pulled noodles in "LA" without having to drive out to SGV, Northern Cafe in Gardena is your place. They make pretty damn good beef noodle soup with 3 size options for hand pulled noodles. I got their specialty, A1, with sauerkraut and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also ordered onion/scallion pancakes and a two-item appetizer combo. I thought these were okay (nothing to write home about), hence why I'm giving this place 4 stars instead of 5. I will definitely be back! Gardena is a much closer drive for me than going to Monterey Park / Alhambra, and good hand pulled noodles is hard to find anywhere! read more

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Used to be quite a fan of this location of Northern Cafe when it first opened, and you could tell how popular it was by the crowds. But this recent visit was the first time in a long time, and a lot has changed. The menu is abbreviated, and they're selling more of the generic dishes such as orange chicken. Noodles are still made in house, but we got two noodle dishes - one the cold sesame paste noodles (absolutely bland and tasteless, and the noodles were overly thick and chewy more in a "not cooked enough" way than in a good way); plus the chili oil noodles (these were okay, but not really a dish we'd get again). We also ordered one beef "burger" and it was sincerely the most tasteless dish ever - the beef has no sense of being marinated, there was zero sauce, or any garnishes, and the bun was a hard flat disk that was not flakey at all - more just leaden dough. We pointed these out to the waitress and her only response was "well it's summer time so perhaps they marinate it less" - to which I say ???????????????? The staff was nice enough, but very inattentive - halfway through our meal the entire staff broke for their own lunch, which is fine, except that meant that none of them paid any attention to the 4+ tables of customers who were still there. We finally had to walk over to the staff table to get our check and takeout boxes. read more

Came here spontaneously with a friend since we always go to Kotohira in the same plaza. The food here is pretty flavorful. We had the House Special Beef Noodle, Chicken Nuggets, and Beef Sandwich. The noodles were great; the appetizers, not so much. The noodles definitely carried the rest of the meal since they were very delicious. On the flip side, my personal issue is that there's a lot of dishes that are spicy and salty. Yes, the food is delicious, but that's after you get past the spice and salt. The service was kind of mediocre, we received our noodle soups but with no spoons. After we asked for spoons it took about 10-15ish minutes to receive it. Definitely coming here for the noodle soup only. read more